She Carries On Like She Don't Have A Heavy Heart
by timelording
Summary: The first time Beth takes Alison to the shooting range isn't to teach her how to shoot.


**A/N:** Some fluffy soccer cop that actually mostly just ended up being painful to write even though its just fluff why is soccer cop ruining my life

**Disclaimer:** Orphan Black will be mine.

* * *

The first time Beth takes Alison to the shooting range isn't to teach her how to shoot.

It's a Tuesday, nearly midnight, when Alison hears a knock on the basement door. She glances over at Donnie sleeping next to her, and slips out of bed and down the stairs. She peels back the curtain on the door, and sighs frustratedly.

"What are you doing here?" she whispers as she opens the door.

"Get dressed. I'm taking you somewhere," Beth says.

"I'm sorry?" Alison raises her eyebrows.

Beth reaches out to touch Alison's hand. "Please," she says softly.

"Fine," Alison concedes. "Wait here."

She turns as she heads up the stairs. "And _be quiet_."

Beth nods dutifully and puts her hands into her jacket pockets.

Alison dresses quickly and silently, eyeing Donnie's sleeping form the whole time. She's back downstairs in three minutes, dressed in tight black track pants, a dark pink jacket, and her hair is pulled back in a tight ponytail. Beth smiles at her from her spot near the door.

"You look great," she whispers.

"Where are we going?" Alison asks.

Beth grins. "You'll see."

She takes Alison's hand and pulls her out the door, closing it softly behind them, and leads Alison to her car parked a safe distance away.

"Beth…" Alison says in a warning tone as she walks around to the passenger side.

"Just get in the car, Ali."

Alison softens at the nickname, but still sighs as she opens the door. "I just wish you'd tell me what's going on, Beth," she says as the car begins to move.

Beth shoots Alison an exasperated look. "Just trust me."

Alison nods wordlessly.

The drive is silent, punctuated only by Alison's sighs and Beth's responding ones.

They quickly leave the city behind, and Alison begins to grow worried.

"Where are we going?" she asks in a concerned tone.

Beth only grins, turning onto a dirt road.

"You're not taking me out here to kill me, are you? Beth?" Her voice is panicked.

"Come on, Ali," Beth says. "Be logical."

Alison crosses her arms. "You're driving me out to the middle of nowhere in the dead of night. What was I supposed to think?" she grumbles.

Beth only laughs and Alison can't help but crack her own smile.

Beth brings the car to a stop not too long after, tires crunching on the gravel and dirt.

"We're here," she says as she turns off the car.

Alison looks out the window at the empty field around them, and then back at Beth. "Where is 'here'?"

Beth rolls her eyes and steps out of the car.

"Wait, Beth-" Alison opens her door and scrambles out of the car to see Beth taking something out of the trunk. (A blanket?)

Alison crosses her arms as she watches Beth wordlessly. She brings a hand up to adjust her earring, and then rests it on the side of her face.

Beth closes the trunk, a folded blanket in her arms. She holds out a hand to Alison. "Come on," she says with a soft smile. Alison stares at Beth's outstretched hand for a long moment before she finally takes it.

Beth leads her through tall grass a good distance away from the car. She lets go of Alison's hand to lay her blanket onto the ground.

Alison's curiosity (and anxiety) finally gets the better of her. "Beth, _what_ is going on?"

Beth sits down on the blanket and pats the spot next to her. "I brought you here because it's so much easier to see the stars than in the city."

There were a lot of reasons that Alison had expected but star gazing wasn't one of them. "I- what?" Beth shakes her head and yanks Alison down onto the blanket. Alison yelps as she nearly falls onto Beth, and crashes onto the blanket.

Beth begins to laugh at Alison's wide-eyed surprise and Alison frowns. "What's so funny?" she demands.

Beth shakes her head again. "Nothing," she says as she tries to stifle her laughter.

"Hmph." Alison crosses her arms again and twists around on the blanket, turning her back to Beth.

"Aw, come on, Ali." Beth puts her chin on Alison's shoulder. Alison can feel her warm breath on her ear, and her hands grow clammy, heart racing. Beth's lips brush lightly against Alison's neck, and Alison thinks her hear is going to beat straight out of her chest. The thought makes her nervous, and she shivers lightly.

"Are you cold?" Beth asks, lips still close to her ear. Alison shakes her head.

Beth's arms are suddenly around Alison's waist and before Alison has time to react, Beth lays down on the blanket, pulling Alison with her. They end up (after much shifting around and hands in awkward places) with the two of them lying on the blanket, Alison's head on Beth's chest. Beth's arms are wrapped around Alison, and she can hear Beth's heartbeat. It's quick and jumpy, and Alison realises Beth is just as nervous about this as she is. The realisation reassures her, and she takes a deep breath and looks up at the dark sky lit up by the stars.

Beth's fingers start to lightly trail up and down Alison's arm, and her pulse jumps. She clears her throat lightly. "You were, uh- you were right. You can see the stars much better out here.

Beth makes a soft noise. "You're damn right," she says, and Alison just knows she's grinning even if she can't see it.

They stay that way for a long while, as the stars grow brighter and the air grows colder and the night somehow grows darker.

"Ali?" Beth finally says. Her voice is almost a whisper.

"Yes?" Alison's reply is just as soft.

Beth is silent for another moment. "I don't know what I'm doing," she says in a broken whisper.

Alison sits up to look at her. "What do you mean?"

Beth gestures between them. "_This_," she says. "I don't know what I'm doing here, Ali, I don't know what this is-"

Alison raises a hand to cut her off. "Beth, I-" she pauses to take a deep breath and Beth props herself up on her elbows. "I don't know what this is, what we're doing but… I know that you keep me stable and sane through this _hell_ we're going through now, and I- I want you to know that you're my best friend." She says it all in a rush, and Beth is silent for a moment.

"You're adorable," she finally says with a grin.

She leans up, and Alison knows what's about to happen. Beth is about to kiss her, so Alison takes charge.

She slams her lips into Beth's before Beth has a chance to do it first. Alison is surprised by how well their lips fit together, and suddenly her hands are in Beth's hair and their lips are working furiously against each other.

"_Ali_," Beth gasps out when Alison pulls away.

Alison leans back and fixes her ponytail, face flushed. "Well," she says, and Beth laughs. The corner of Alison's mouth twitches up.

"I thought you were taking me out here to see the stars," Alison says as Beth leans in to kiss her again.

Beth shrugs, her lips perilously close to Alison's "Believe me, Ali. I'm seeing them."

Alison snorts in laughter before Beth can kiss her. "What?" Beth says, leaning back slightly. "Was that a stupid thing to say?"

"Yes," Alison says, nodding. "But it was cute." She reaches up and pulls Beth's face closer, and presses her lips gently to Beth's. Beth grins into the kiss and deepens it, pressing her lips more firmly to Alison's.

"Hey, Ali," she murmurs later that night, as she's dropping Alison off at home. Alison stops before getting out of the car, hand on the door handle.

"Yes, Beth?"

"You're my best friend, too."

Alison reaches up and tugs on her ponytail. She smiles, a soft one that speaks of a vulnerability she doesn't often express.

"Goodnight, Beth."


End file.
